


Five Skeletons, a Human, and What Appears to be Bad News

by Luna_Nightshade



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Outertale, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Angst, Humans don't like monsters, I promise to make happy chapters!, Monsters don't like humans, Skeletons can shapeshift, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, like holy fuck angst, multiple Gasters, terrible things happening to innocent skelies, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 14:36:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7365451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Nightshade/pseuds/Luna_Nightshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Diane, who normally minded her own business, heard strange noises on her way home late at night in the pouring rain. Of course, because there would be no plot otherwise, she goes to investigate only to end up seeking help for five skeleton children, two of whom are barely alive. She may need to shed some light on the subject to help the abused children find the one they're missing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Skeletons, a Human, and What Appears to be Bad News

Diane had no business being out this late. Nor did she had any right to be looking into other peoples' alleyways in the middle of the monster part of town. But she paid that no mind. So long as she left monsters alone, they usually did the same. It was odd how different these creatures, who were new to the surface, were to the ones who'd roamed it for what felt like forever. Diane happened to like that. She liked it a lot. Humans weren't all bad, but the loud majority was. Dealing with those that wanted nothing but violence and death didn't suit Diane, it weighed on her patience too much for her liking.

So, like always, she avoided the crowded human streets and took a preference to the quiet monster back alleys. The few monsters she was ever able to talk to were totally fine with her back there, said she scared away unwanted visitors hiding in the shadows. Diane wasn't surprised. Vandalism was common and most monsters could do nothing about it. Letting their rage take the better of them and killing the culprit could easily tip the governments of the world in the favor of another war, and just like the least, monsters would not stand a chance. Magic was no match for a machine gun. Still, there were monsters that wanted another war, if only to kicked humanity in the ass for all it's done. To Diane, that seemed perfectly justified, but there was no way it was gonna happen. Disregarding the power difference between the two races, there was also the fact that monsters were out numbered a million to one. There really was no hope for retaliation.

Though weary herself, Diane hoped at least some of the monsters felt welcome. It was stupid to tell them to go back underground, really, they were still on the planet. Many peoples' argument was that there wasn't enough room, but that wasn't the case. Monsters took hardly anything from the humans, even bringing up their own material for homes and such. They did less damage to the world than any human, it was just sad seeing that so many monsters felt like they should not be here when they deserved it and more.

Lost in thoughts of baked goods, as she could smell Muffet's Bakery from where she was, Diane did not notice the odd noises coming from the next inlet until she was almost in front of the opening. Crying, that was what she heard. And pleas for help.

"Hello?" was her immediate reaction, "Is someone there?"

When there was no response, Diane figured it was someone's TV or something else of the same caliber. These were monsters, they wouldn't hurt a fly, or at least none of the monsters Diane knew would. They were all mostly quiet and helpful, even the ones who were openly anti-human. Right, no one was in trouble here.

"h...el........p......"

This time, there was no hesitation as Diane went into the space between two large, brick buildings. It was fairly small and she could just barely fit, but something washed over her and she refused to turn back around and leave. Somewhere in the darkness was a flash of white. Diane needed to get to it.

"I'm here to help, can you here me?" she asked the darkness, squeezing further in passed a protruding pipe.

The darkness replied, "pl......eas.....e.."

That was a child's voice! As she came even closer and got a glimpse of the child attach to that voice, Diane felt red hot, molten anger immediately build up inside her. A tiny skeleton sat at the very back of the inlet, his tiny hands held down through a hole in the wall that was assumably a window of some kind, but the child was not the reason she was furious. Upon inspection, the child was just barely awake, let alone alive, and there were thousands of injuries littering his tiny body, the most prominent being his broken ulna which was just barely still attached at the wrist with the radius. On the hand that somehow kept his arm from falling to bits was a metal plate with something inscribed on it that Diane couldn't read in the dark. Both his wrists were chained to something through the window that was just big enough for Diane to maybe crawl through. She had no idea what was on the other side, though.

"Everything's gonna be alright." Diane managed to keep her voice even despite her utter furry, "I'll get you out of here."

Her promise was half-hearted at best, she knew it. He would probably die before she even got him unchained and that would still be a feat. The child shivered violently and Diane almost thought he was having a seizure when he stopped. No, not a seizure, just frantic sobbing.

"b..........br......ot...her................s........" he choked out.

There were more? "Where are they?"

The skeleton pointed weakly at the opening in the wall and Diane had to hold back the curse in her throat. Of course they were in there, where else would they be? Definitely not looking for help elsewhere or somewhere equally less dangerous than staying in whatever place this was.

Instead of trying to avoid this, Diane simply pushed her head in next to the child's hands, careful of his arm, and peered in. Sure enough, four other skeletons were in a little grey room. Three of them sat around the fourth, who was clearly heavily injured. All of them were hurt and every one of them looked up at the window in fear, shaking hard enough for their bones to rattle when they saw the stranger watching them from where their brother disappeared.

Gathering her wits, Diane started assuring the skeletons she meant no harm before telling them to come over to the window. It was only then she realized somehow these kids managed to file out several bars that had previously been covering the hole. She pulled out a nail filer from her purse and began the long process of filing the chains off each child; first the one outside, then the more injured one who was carefully carried over, then the other three, though they were skeptical of her. One had something like a dog collar around his neck and the last two had their chains attached to their legs instead of their wrists which made things difficult.

Once freed, all those that could were quick to run from the window, dragging along the two that couldn't even stand. One of them started babbling about a sixth who had gotten out earlier and if her was okay, but Diane paid little mind as she looked over each of the boys. All of them had cracks of previous breaks and each shook violently at her touch, one of the younger ones even asked if they were in trouble. That notion was thrown away quickly as Diane told the kids they didn't have to fear her. She was here to help, not hurt.

Then came the siren, a screeching sound from inside the building the children had been in. Diane's eyes widened in just as much fear as the kids', but was quicker to act.

The younger two grabbed onto her legs while the last conscious one was on her back. The last two rested carefully in her arms and she ran. It didn't even occur to her she went the wrong way until she went passed the bakery, but there was no time to turn around. Every few second, she would check to make sure every tiny weight was still on her body as her feet leapt through the backways of town. There was only one place she could go, only one person she could trust to help her.

Minutes, that felt like hours, later, Diane was walking into the kitchen of some diner, completely out of breath and almost toppling on top of the children.

"Grillby! I need your help!"


End file.
